Representatives from the environmental organization Oceana were on the Eastern Shore of Virginia in December to talk about local opposition to offshore drilling and the seismic testing that precedes it.

Accomack and Northampton counties were among the earliest East Coast localities to pass resolutions against offshore oil drilling, said Terra Pascarosa, Oceana's Virginia campaign manager.

Accomack's Board of Supervisors passed a resolution in April 2009 opposing offshore drilling, and again in February 2016 voted to send a letter to officials opposing it.

The towns of Exmore, Onancock, Cape Charles and Chincoteague also came out in opposition to offshore drilling earlier this year, she said, adding, "It just speaks volumes. The Shore just jumped on board before even most of Hampton Roads did ... It's great to hear that messaging come from the Eastern Shore."

They are among the more than 300 municipalities that have formally opposed offshore oil drilling and the seismic testing that precedes it.

Pascarosa also has met with Wachapreague and Tangier officials about considering similar resolutions, and plans to speak with others.

Among several local organizations opposing offshore drilling, the Eastern Shore of Virginia Chamber of Commerce sent a letter to Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke in January 2018 asking that Virginia be excluded from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management's next iteration of the five-year-oil and gas leasing program, saying the program "directly threatens the economy of the Eastern Shore of Virginia."

The Chamber represents more than 400 business and individual members in Northampton and Accomack counties.

The letter said Accomack and Northampton depend economically on water-related activities — including aquaculture, aerospace and technology, Department of Defense, tourism and environmental research.

The proposed five-year plan "directly threatens the economy of the Eastern Shore of Virginia." it said.

SEISMIC TESTING

Oceana is asking local leaders to again speak out — after the National Marine Fisheries Service in November authorized permits for five companies to do seismic testing to explore for oil and gas deposits, and in anticipation of the release of the proposed five-year oil and gas lease plan as early as January.

The NMFS permits include an area offshore from southern New Jersey to central Florida.

Seismic testing permit application areas in the Atlantic for five companies(Photo: Oceana image)

The National Marine Fisheries Service is at the center of a lawsuit filed in South Carolina on Dec. 11 by a group of non-governmental organizations, including Oceana.

The lawsuit claims the NMFS violated the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy Act when granting the permits, which are related to the potential effects of seismic surveys on marine mammals.

Now nine attorneys general, including from Virginia, Maryland and Delaware, are moving to intervene on the side of the organizations and file their own complaints on the behalf of their states.

The filing is being led by Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh and joined by Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring and the attorneys general of Delaware, Connecticut, North Carolina, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maine and New York.

“The Commonwealth of Virginia and our coastal communities have made it clear time and again that we aren’t interested in offshore drilling that could threaten our coastal environment and economy just so a few oil and gas companies can make a few more bucks,” said Herring.

“An oil spill could jeopardize the health and economic viability of the Chesapeake Bay and tourism, fishing and military operations in Hampton Roads," he said, adding, "We will continue to make our objections clear and use the tools at our disposal to prevent risky drilling off Virginia’s coast.”

Seismic airguns work by blasting compressed air into the ocean. The air travels through the water and into the seabed, allowing companies to learn about potential oil and gas deposits.

The prospect of seismic testing and the release of the proposed five-year lease plan makes it important for local leaders to make their voices heard, according to Oceana representatives.

"One thing that I'm doing is reaching out to a lot of the local leaders in Onancock, Cape Charles and Exmore to say, 'We really want your voices lifted a little bit more, because we passed these resolutions on the Eastern Shore ... Would you be interested in talking about what's important to your town on the Shore and why we want to make sure they are not coming here to drill for oil," Pascarosa said.